Door locking and sealing device



Aprii 29, 1941. J. NEMEC boon LOCKING AND SEALING DEVICE Filed July 5, 1940 Patented Apr. 29, 1941 -UNl'lED srrss; PATENT OFFICE] 2,240,162 7 noon LOCKING AND SEALING DEVICE Joseph Nemec, Western Springs, Ill. Application m a, 1940, Serial No. 342,750

2 Claims. (cl. 292-448) My invention relates to an outside door locking and sealing device more especially intended for use on the doors of railroad baggage cars and mail cars and has for its object the provision of a device which meets the Government sealing requirements for either sliding or hinged doors in connection with the handling of the United States mails; although my improved locking device is adapted for use on any closure device or door, as the device permits the use of any suitable style of padlock.

My improved locking device is universal in operation, that is to say, it is equally well adapted to either right or left hand sliding or hinged swinging doors; the invention having for its object the provision of a simple and durable construction which may be applied either to the front end or to the rear end of a sliding door; a device which, after having been installed, cannot be removed whether in locked or unlocked condition and hence the movable elements of the lock cannot be lost when the lock is in unsealed or in unlocked position. That is to say, the lock involves a main or body portion which may be riveted or otherwise intimately secured to a wall so that unauthorized removal of the lock is not readily possible. The invention also has for its objects the provision of a lock of few movable sturdy elements adapted to withstand more or less rough usage and which may be of any desired size, with the bolt locking element formed to receive any suitable padlock and to also receive the usual car door sealing means.

The objects and advantages of my invention will all be readily comprehended from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved locking device showing the bolt in locking position.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view with the sealing member in elevation.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, with a portion of the bolt member in full lines, in retracted position and its locking position shown in dotted lines.

My improved locking and sealing device, although applicable for use where a locking device is required, is especially intended for locking and sealing the doors of the mail and baggage cars of railroads and designed to meet .the United States mail requirements for locking and sealing the car doors, whether of the sliding or hinged type.

. formed with reenforcing The invention also has for its object the provision of a universal type of locking device adapted for either right hand or left hand sliding or hinged doors which is simple in operation and of durable construction and which may be applied to the front or to the rear end of a sliding door; application to the rear end of the door being, however, preferable because that permits a greater opening of the door for large loadings and also affords protection against damage.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device in which the bolt locking and sealing member is not removable, whether the device is in locked or unlocked position and hence cannot be misplaced or lost, nor can the device be removed by unauthorized individuals because it is adapted to be secured in place by securing elements which are not accessible after the device has been assembled and applied.

The device, which may be made in any desired size, consists of the main casting l0 shown pro vided with a plane rear face to enable the device to be attached flush with the wall or member to which it is to be attached, preferably by means of rivets or screws disposed through any suitable number of rivet-holes H arranged in the casting or body member 10 which is shown marginal side walls or flange portions 12, I2 which terminate at their upper ends in an over-hanging top portion or wall I3; while the lower ends of these side wall flanges l2 preferably increase in transverse dimensions and terminate in the bolt carrying housing portion M disposed transversely of the casting.

The housing portion i i is formed with a passage extending lengthwisely therethrough to receive the sliding bolt member l5 which is preferably of length greater than the length of the housing portion [4 in order to maintain a considerable portion of the bolt in the chamber of housing portion I4 when the bolt has been slid into locking position.

The bolt member i5 is provided on its forward longitudinal side with a finger grasping pin it whose inner end is swaged or preferably riveted over as shown at l i in Figure 3, while the forward end of the pin extends through a slot is disposed longitudinally of the forward side of the housing Hi, see Figure 1, thus permitting the bolt member l5 to be slid to an extent commensurate with the length of slot 48. The bolt member I5 is shown provided with spaced apart holes l9, dis posed vertically therethrough to receive the lower and preferably cylindrical portion of the bolt locking and sealing member 20.

The top and bottom walls of the bolt holding housing [4 are provided with vertically aligned openings with which the holes IS in the bolt member are adapted to register; that is to say, the hole 19 in the left hand end of bolt member l5 (as viewed in Figure 3) registers with the holes in the top and bottom walls of housing i4 when the bolt has been slid outwardly toward the right as shown in full lines inv Figure 1 and in dotted lines in Figure 3 (the degree of such movement being controlled by the finger pin l6 riding in slot l8), while the hole l9 at the right hand end of bolt member i5 (see Figure 3) is brought to register with the holes in the top and bottom walls of housing Iii when the bolt l5 has been shifted to its extreme left hand position shown in full lines in Figure 3.

The lower pin portion 2! of bolt sealing member is preferably provided with a car seal receiving slot 22 disposed transversely through the part of the pin portion which extends beneath the housing It when the locking and sealing member 28 is in bolt locking position.

The upper end of the sealing member 2? is transversely enlarged so as not to drop down through the housing portion it; this enlarged upper part of member 2i! resting on top of the housing portion Hi when the member Zii is in boltholding position as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The top of the enlarged upper end of sealing member 2c is shown provided with a finger grasping knob portion 23 which seats on a top plate 24 secured to the. top of the main casting is; while the transversely enlarged portion of member 20 at a distance beneath the finger grasping knob 23 is provided with a padlock receiving aperture 25.

The locking and sealing member 29 at the juncture between its upper portion and the lower pin portion 25 is slightly enlarged vertically and laterally at to seat on top of the housing portion id; and thedistance between this enlarged portion26 and the bottom of the overhanging top l3-is slightly'less than the length of the cylindrical pin portion 2i so as to prevent the lower end of the. pin portion 2i being entirely lifted out'ofthe hole in the top wall of the housing portion M when member this lifted out of bolt holdingposition.

The overhanging top wall 13 of the main body l'fiiis slotted from front toward the rear (the slot iiiterminating adjacent the vertical wall of main body member Iii) for passage of the narrow intermediate portion of locking member 26; while the top plate 24 at 24 is slotted from the rear edge, with the slot terminating short of the downwardly curved forward edge 28 which laps the for- \vardedge of'tlietop wall 53 and thus reenforces thewall i3; and this top plate 24-is shown held in place by screws 29 so as to permit its removal when occasion requires, although the top plate may be welded in place if desired.

In order to permit the inner end of finger pin 16 to be upset or rived after. the bolt member I5 is in the housing portion M, I show the main wall of member It? provided with a hole. at 38.

The vertical Wall of main member I0 is shown provided with a number of rivets or screw holes I I spaced apart to enable a sufficient number of screws to be used so as to firmly hold the device in place, with certain of the Screw-holes positioned in alignment with the locking and sealing member 20 so that access to these screws is impossible when the device has been assembled and properly applied, as is apparent from Figure 1 The device is usually applied to one of the door-posts of the car while the portion of the door (when the latter is in closed position) which registers with the bolt member i5 is, of course, provided with a suitable socket or keeper member adapted to receive the end of the bolt i5 and as the bolt is slidable in either direction, it is apparent that the device may be attached to the front or to the rear post of the car door opening.

My improved door locking and sealing device is so constructed that it will not extend a great distance into the door opening, in fact no further than is the ease with the door-grasps now being employed and its construction is such that the device will withstand the rough usage to which it may be subjected; while at the same time there are no loosely suspended latch pins to become wedged during car operation while the door is unsealed and open, as, however, is the case with mail and baggage car door looks at present employed.

With my improved device the use of seal pins suspended from chains is obviated and hence the loss of seal pins, by reason of broken chains, and the use of hasps, are entirely eliminated and consequently the maintenance cost is greatly reduced; as the required U. S. mail padlock and car-seal are both applied to the slidably housed sturdy locking member 29 which maintains the bolt member either in locking position or unlocking position regardless of any severe slamming of the-door;

Although my improved locking device is especially adapted for locking and sealing the doors of railroad baggage and mail cars, it is apparent that it is equally adapted to other uses and that the device may be made to any convenient size.

The invention has been described in terms employed for purposes of description and not as terms; of limitation, as structural modifications may be made without, however, departing from the .spirit of my. invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A door locking and sealing device comprising a main member provided with a fiat attaching face a box-like. open ended housing portion at its lower end and an overhanging wall at its upper end spaced from the housing portion, said housingportion having a slot in its forward wall andregistering holes in its top and bottom Walls, while the overhanging upper wall is transversely slotted; a bolt member slidably mounted in said housing, movable through the open ends thereof and provided with a finger grasping pin extending through the slot in the housing portion and having. spaced apart holes extending vertically therethrough and adapted to be brought into register with the holes in the top and bottom walls of said housing portion; a bolt locking member slidably mounted in the slot of said overhanging wall, the. lower end of-the member being reduced and adaptedto pass through the registering holes in the housing portion and said bolt member wherebythe latter is held inv locking or unlocking position, said bolt locking member bein transversely apertured to receive a car-seal; and means whereby dissociation of said bolt locking member from said slotted overhanging wall is prevented.

ZMA door locking and sealing device comprising. a single piece casting provided at its upper end with anioverhanging slotted wall and at its lower end with a transversely disposed open-end ed housing portion provided with a slot in its forward wall and registering holes in its top and bottom walls; a bolt member slidably mounted in said housing portion, provided with spaced apart vertically disposed holes adapted to register with the holes in the housing portion and having a finger-grasping pin arranged intermediate of said spaced holes and disposed through the slot in the housing portion whereby the bolt member is operated and its degree of movement through either end of the housing controlled; a gravity controlled bolt locking member, of length greater than the distance between the top of the overhanging wall and the bottom of the housing por- JOSEPH NEMEC. 

